The 7 Principals of LNT vs. Roy Rogers Riders Rules

These Leave No Trace (LNT) articles were originally published in the OET Riders Roundup in the early to mid 2000’s. They were written by Bonnie Stockman, a long standing member and supporter of the OET Mission and way. Among her many talents, Bonnie was a Equestrian Leave No Trace (LNT) educator and wrote many articles for the OET Riders Roundup. Today as she watches over us, we honor Bonnie’s work, by reprinting the articles for everyone, so while we ride let’s do our part by leaving no trace and become a better steward of our public lands.

A friend recently sent me a wonderful thank you card for a Christmas present I had sent her.  On the front of it is  was a picture of Roy Rogers and his horse Trigger.  On the back of the card were Roy Rogers Riders Rules.  Now, for us “older” riders, Roy Rogers, Trigger and Dale Evans and her horse Buttermilk were special friends that along with other western characters and their horses were a source of afternoon entertainment as they rode across those tiny little black and white TV’s of the 1950’s.  More than one of us were inspired by their exploits to want to own horses and ride the wild open spaces. 

My friend Valerie and I have shared LNT (Leave No Trace – or as Marian Lee puts it Learn New Tricks) as an ethic for many years, since long before it had a name.  Her comment in her note to me said it all.

“Read the Roy Rogers Riders Rules and compare to LNT – he would have liked it!” So, here are Roy’s rules:

1. Be neat and clean.
2. Be courteous and polite.
3. Always obey your parents.
4. Protect the weak and help them.
5. Be brave but never take chances.
6. Study hard and learn all you can.
7. Be kind to animals and take care of them.
8. Eat all your food and never waste any.
9. Love God, and go to Sunday School regularly.
10. Always respect our flag and our country.

The principles of Leave No Trace are not a word-for-word match up, but to me there’s the same sense of going about your business with respect for what’s around you and leaving as little negative impact as you can. Here are the seven principles of the Leave No Trace Outdoor Ethics:

1. Plan ahead and prepare.
2. Travel and camp on durable surfaces.
3. Dispose of waste properly.
4. Leave what you find.
5. Minimize campfire impacts.
6. Respect wildlife.
7. Be considerate of other visitors.

Sure looks like a good match up in spirit to me – although if I’m going to “dispose of waste properly” by following Roy’s rule to “eat all your food and never waste any”, I better put a little less on my plate!

It’s been a while since this column went over the Leave No Trace Ethic in much detail.  In the next few months, we’ll revisit each of the principles listed above, with breaks for other topics as they come up.  OET’s membership has grown tremendously in the last couple of years – many new members are also relatively new to trail riding and camping with horses.  

People join OET for many reasons.  For some members, it’s simply a way to get information on horse-friendly trails and campsites.  Some people join in order to meet new friends with whom to ride and camp.  Others join because a favorite trail or horse camp needs repair work or is threatened with closure.  Some others, like the original founding members, see a vision for the future that might not include horses in the backcountry.  They join OET as a way to join with other horse people to work to prevent that vision from becoming a reality.   

Whatever your reason for joining OET, whether you are purely a recreational trail rider or a dyed in the wool trails activist, keep in mind that our goal is to continue to be able to ride our horses in the backcountry.  There are many ways we can all work on meeting that goal.

One way to ensure that we, along with our horses, can continue to be welcome in the backcountry is by practicing LNT when we ride and camp with our horses.  Most of the reasons put forth by those wanting to close horses out of the backcountry can be addressed by the practice of LNT techniques by trailriders.

Thanks, Roy!

May we always have Mountains and Rivers Without End.
Bonnie & Velvet